1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



563 



Disposing of the Surplus Honey Crop. 



BY HON. GEO. E. HILTON. 



The time of year is now approaching for the bee-keeper 

 to rejoice if he has been successful in securing a good crop of 

 honey for the market, and if we have done our duty in an 

 earnest effort to secure the crop and have experienced a fail- 

 ure, then we have nothing to reproach ourselves for. But 

 judging from the amount of supplies sold, and the reports 

 that I am getting from different parts of the State, especially 

 the central and northern parts, the bee-keeper has no reason 

 to complain, but on the other hand, will be well paid for his 

 efiforts, providing he uses the same tact in disposing of his 

 crop that he has in securing it. 



I have learned from experience that it is one thing to 

 secure a crop of honey and quite another to dispose of it to 

 the best advantage. And first I feal like insisting that every 

 bee-keeper leave no stone unturned to dispose of his crop, or 

 as much of it as possible, in his home market, even though 

 the price may seem low compared with prices quoted in the 

 city markets. I urge this for two reasons : First, you are 

 educating your community to the uses of honey, and as the 

 education spreads your sales of honey will increase. The 

 more places your honey is kept on sale the more will be sold, 

 especially if you put it in nice, clean, attractive packages. 

 And I would recommend that you make, or buy, a medium- 

 sized, upright show-case, and have your name and address 

 plainly painted on each glass ; place one of them in each 

 grocery or butcher's shop that will handle your honey, then 

 see to it that nothing but the best is put into this case. This 

 will make a little expense, but they will more than pay the 

 first season. I know for I have tried it. 



Then tell the salesmen that you want to mark the price 

 of your honey on each section. They will be pleased to have 

 you do this, as it saves them that much trouble and mussing. 

 I have a scale called the " Family Favorite," that I can set a 

 section of honey on, and it will indicate instantly how many 

 ounces it weighs, and I mark as many cents on the section as 

 it weighs ounces. This gives you a good round price for your 

 honey, and your patron gets just what he pays for. If you do 

 not do this, many salesmen will sell by the section, and the 

 purchasers will select all the choicest, and the last purchaser 

 must take the smaller packages, or they are palmed off on 

 some poor unsuspecting child. I fear children are too often 

 taken advantage of in this manner. May God help us to deal 

 honestly with our fellowmen, especially the children. 



By pursuing the plan I have recommended, you avoid the 

 glut of the city markets, and the consequent low prices. Then 

 it costs more time and money to prepare honey for the city 

 market than it does for the home market, and you have the 

 freight, cartage and commission to pay, the risk of breakage 

 in transit, and also the risk of its falling into the hands of 

 dishonest commission men, for I have learned that commis- 

 sion men are not more honest than the general run of men. 



I will give you an illustration of the truth of what I have 

 said : Last fall a friend of mine had about a ton of very good 

 honey, and sent for me to buy it. I looked it over, and told 

 him I would give him 10 cents per pound for the lot just as it 

 came from the hives, I to furnish my own shipping-cases and 

 crates, and do my own packing and shipping. He said he 

 had been offered 17 cents in Chicago for it, and hoped to 

 realize more than 10 cents net, and I told him I certainly 

 hoped that he would. 



So he bought the shipping-cases, spent several days in 

 scraping and preparing for market, and shipped to Chicago. 

 After waiting about three months, and failing to get replies 

 to Inquiries, he appealed to me again, and stated the case and 

 asked my advice. I told my friend I would make an effort to 

 get his pay. So I'wrote the commission man, stating the 

 facts, and told him unless he remitted to my friend at once. 



or gave some satisfactory reason why he did not, I should feel 

 it my duty to publish the facts in the leading bee-journals of 

 the United States. Account sales were at once rendered, and 

 my friend realized 8 cents a pound for his honey. Now, this 

 does not prove that all commission men are dishonest, but I 

 have learned that some of them are, and that a home market is 

 much more safe than "the markets of the world" that we 

 have had open to us the past three years. — Michigan Farmer. 



Newaygo Co., Mich. 



Fifteen Years' Experience in Bee-Keeping. 



BY MRS. SALLIE E. SHERMAN. 

 (Continued from page 548.) 



After getting and trying different kinds of bee-hats and 

 veils, I finally settled upon, and still like best, a large-briraed 

 white-straw hat, lined with a light quality of straw-colored 

 linen, with strings from the crown inside to fasten under the 

 chin, and also an extra pair on the outer edge of the brim, so 

 that I can also draw that down, too, when I so wish. The 

 veil I want of the very finest black silk net, with a slight 

 greenish cast, just long enough to come down well over the 

 face. The rest of it I prefer made of something very thin 

 and open, of a light color, with a string run in the hem so 

 that it will work very easily. This can best be done by hav- 

 ing the hem wide. When not in use I just throw the veil up 

 over the hat out of the way. If any angry bees came buzzing 

 around, I could instantly pull the veil down, and was thus 

 secure from their attack. 



In making cake, jelly, jam, preserves, and vinegar, I used 

 honey instead of sugar for exhibition purposes at the fairs, 

 thus advertising new uses for honey, and bringing it into more 

 general use. I also distributed hundreds of the " Honey 

 Almanacs " with my advertisement on them. In this way, 

 and the free use of printer's ink, I worked up a good trade in 

 honey, many times not being able to fill all the orders I got. I 

 even received a letter from Paris, France, soliciting consign- 

 ments of honey to that far-away, sunny clime. [The "Honey 

 Almanac " referred to by Mrs. Sherman, is no longer printed. 

 — Editor.] 



Methinks I hear you ask if I ever had any experience in 

 peddling. Well, yes, considerable. I tried never to go to 

 town without something to sell. You see, town people have 

 to eat as well as look pretty, dress finely, and show their 

 acco-jplishments. We must cater to the eye as well as to the 

 taste, so I have found that it paid well to fix up everything 

 that was for sale in the most attractive style possible. I had 

 nice labels printed and put upon the new tin buckets, varying 

 in size from one pint to one, two and three gallons ; Mason 

 jars from one quart to half gallon ; then a vessel for sampling. 

 I also usually took nice golden butter molded in one-pound 

 molds, beautifully stamped ; each pound was wrapped sep- 

 arately in nice butter-paper; and a bottle of honey-vinegar as 

 a sample from which to take orders. When I had comb honey 

 of course I took it also. 



Well, it was but a few houses that I would go to, if they 

 had any money, that didn't want something that I had. Once 

 I secured an order they didn't forget me, but as I would call 

 again the children would go running into the houses to tell 

 their mothers that the " honey-woman " or " sweet lady " was 

 coming, and begin begging her to buy some more. 



On one occasion, however, the lady said that she didn't 

 want any honey, as her family cared very little for it. She 

 made her own butter, and had a supply of vinegar on hand. 

 It seemed to amuse her to think that I had so many things 

 for sale. She inquired if I had anything else to sell. "Yes," 

 said I, " lots of other things. Fancy chickens of some half 

 dozen different breeds, and eggs from the same." She wanted 

 to know if that was all ? "Oh, no," said I ; " we have some 



